1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image projectors for projecting images onto a screen or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image projectors are known that, based on image data from a personal computer, a video camera, and the like, form images by an image forming element using light emitted from a lamp, and that project the images onto a screen or the like. This kind of image projectors have a lamp and an image forming element in a housing so that the lamp can be replaced when it becomes unusable due to its degradation, life or the like. In such an image projector, a lamp is housed in a box to form a lamp unit, which can be inserted into and removed from the housing of the projector (see, for example, Japanese laid-open patent publication Nos. 2002-333668 and Hei 10-31163, and Japanese utility model No. 3092161). When the lamp needs to be replaced, the lamp unit is removed from the housing for replacement.
However, in order to replace the lamp in the conventional image projector, the entire lamp unit has to be replaced as described above. In other words, not only the lamp but also the box in which the lamp is housed are replaced. This results in increase in cost because the cost of the box is required in addition to the cost of the lamp. This problem cannot be solved even if the technologies disclosed in the above mentioned references are applied.